At the brink of the Grand Canyon of the Tuolumne, our first glimpse of Hetch Hetchy below set off sensations of awe, ghosts and thrills.

In early evening, a thick sky and refracted light tinted the canyon with a muted opaque glow. The air was warm and humid. Our packs felt lighter than in days, knowing the end of a 35-mile trek was a few hours off.

Last week, a group of four of us launched off on an expedition into the Yosemite wilderness above Hetch Hetchy and to descend into the canyon as if simulating the experience of the trailblazers of the 1800s. In the gallery above, the adventure is captured in a series of photographs.